Analyzing the 10 Laws of Electronic Cigarette Etiquette

I could go on; it was a long list. The point was, I always considered other people and how my smoking affected them. Should we have the same considerations while vaping?

Business Insider journalist, Chris Anderson, developed 9 Laws of e-cigarette etiquette they recommend people follow while vaping. Most are common sense suggestions that force us to be considerate of the others around us.

10. Blowing clouds in people’s face’s
Your MOD Vapour in the face- Even vapers get angry when other vapers do this!

It’s always irritating. It’s usually not hard to blow vapor towards an area where there are less or no people.Still, should this be an absolute rule? What if you are with your mates in a vape shop and they don’t mind?

9. No vaping while at the movies
Anderson suggests never doing this for two reasons. The vapor and the light. While some models don’t light up or the sun is hidden by your finger when you press it to vape, there are others like the Blu cigs that glow at the end. Then there’s the vapor cloud (both sight and smell). Both could honestly be a distraction to other movie goers from the people seated on both sides of you and of course, the people seated behind. Personally, I hate distractions that kill my suspension of reality during a movie. I would never vape in a theater and have to agree with this one.

8. No vaping at the dinner table
Vaping at the dinner table, even at a restaurant, is supposedly rude. Personally, I’m divided on this one because vapor dissipates quickly. Unless you’re a heavy vaper you’re not likely to overpower the aromas in the restaurant. This one I have to disagree with Anderson on; taking a few puffs isn’t rude in this environment at all. I stand by not doing it while the people at the table are eating, and never around children if they’re at the table.

7. Vaping in an open office
Anderson states that you should never vape in the office and not to make a show of it. I’ve read a lot of forum and social media posts from folks who constantly vape at work. Others will step outside with the smokers instead of doing it at their desk. Personally, I think this comes down to personal and work choice. The kindest thing is to step away, but if your co-workers and your supervisors have no issue with it, then there’s no reason to fuss. Excellent communication and asking your coworkers first is solid etiquette here.

6. Don’t vape in the John
Business Insider says it’s not polite to do it in the bathroom and not to hide. I could agree with this one, but not for the reasons they suggest. There are zero reasons to hide vaping or keep it to the bathroom. This could also lead to other issues where someone reports you for smoking something in the bathroom. Then you could be forced to explain yourself. If you use the John to hide it, you’re not doing yourself or vaping, in general, any good.
Now, if you do it in the bathroom just because you’re going to be there for a little while, and your employer is aware of it, more power to you. It’ll always smell better than the other thing you’re producing.

5. Vaping is not for quitters
This one annoyed me. Anderson states that you’re vaping because you don’t want to smoke cigarettes anymore. If you smoke but also vape then, you make all other vapers look bad. This just isn’t the case. First, some people cannot quit smoking cold turkey, and I would never expect them to. I know many vapers who have the occasional analog cig, especially when they first transition.
When I started vaping and made the switch with my wife, we would have maybe 1 or 2 analog cigs a day. I’m not ashamed of it, and no one else should be. Analogs may not be healthy, but smoking from time to time (whether it’s an analog, a cigar or a pipe) has absolutely nothing to do with e-cig etiquette. Bad form for Business Insider to try to call out smokers.

4. Don’t vape on public transportation
Honestly, you shouldn’t do it in any confined space with other people where ventilation could be an issue. That means planes, trains, taxi, bus, subway, etc. People can’t get away from you, and while you might enjoy the scent of your vapor, they might not. There’s really nowhere for the smell/vapor to go in a lot of public transit, so it’s important to be considerate. A thoughtful person would fart there, so don’t vape there.

3. Don’t look down on smokers
Anderson states that vapers shouldn’t stick their nose up at smokers or try to aggressively convert them. This seems like a contradiction to #5 where they said that you shouldn’t do both because it makes vapers look bad. Despite that, I agree that smokers should be aggressively sold on vaping. You shouldn’t feel the need to rescue them. If they ask, then, by all means, share the wealth. Otherwise, let them be.

2. Don’t vape around children
I’ve got two young girls that constantly told me they wanted me to quit smoking when I would step onto the porch to have a puff. When I switched to e-cigarettes, my oldest daughter understood why that I was doing it to quit smoking and that it was a healthier alternative but that it still contained nicotine. I do my best not to promote the habit because nicotine is addictive. I won’t vape when they’re around me, especially next to me or in my lap.

1. Don’t leave your vaping supplies laying around
This is less about etiquette and more about common sense. If you have animals and small children, then put your things away. Even small doses of nicotine can make animals and kids very sick. Concentrated liquids and cartridges could be fatal if swallowed.
Do you agree or disagree with these recommendations? Are there some important rules of e-cig etiquette that were left out?